July 3, 2009
How do you feel now that you’ve had time to soak in your second Super Bowl title? Winning another Super Bowl was really sweet. With the first one, you don’t really know what to expect because you’ve never done it. This time around, you know what it took, and it was just as sweet as the first one. You’ve got guys playing in the league 10 or 15 years who don’t even get a chance to go in the playoffs or get to a championship, so for me to win two Super Bowls is a huge deal.
You had a couple of former Longhorns join the Steelers since the first one. How has it been having Tony Hills and Limas Sweed there? Tony and Limas are getting better. Last year was kind of like, especially for Tony, a redshirt year -- getting him stronger, up to speed with the plays -- but from then to now, you can see a big difference in how he plays. He’s a lot more confident in what he’s doing. I definitely think in the very near future, he’s going to be able to help us. Sweed is going to be counted on to make plays this year and get it done. Anytime they do anything, it all comes back to me. I’ve got to look out for those guys. They’re definitely out there working hard and are going to be ready to play.
Beyond those two, there are Longhorns on the other sideline every week. How does it feel to see so many? There’s a lot of talent out there. There are a lot of players from Texas in the NFL, and I’d like to think we kind of started that as the first guys once Coach Brown got here. Me, Cedric Woodard, Shaun Rogers, Ricky (Williams), I think we started it and the young guys are doing a great job of keeping the tradition going.
There has been a great line of defensive tackles. What do you think of that and the influence of Coach Mike Tolleson? Tolly is a good guy. Year in and year out he puts guys in the NFL. I think me Shaun and Cedric started that tradition here and we set the bar high for those guys. Those guys come up and do a good job of representing Coach Tolly and The University of Texas.
Coming back to the spring game, what did you think of that and how closely do you follow the current guys? Coming back to the spring game was nice. They aren’t as tough as we used to be (smiling), but they can play. There’s no question about that. There’s a lot of talent out there. It’s fun and a lot different. You kind of feel like an old man knowing that you were out there doing the same things they’re doing. To see those guys at 18 and 19 years old makes me feel like an old man.
Did it feel like yesterday when you saw coach Brown? Coach Brown took care of me when I was here. It’s always fun to come back and talk to him and see what’s on his mind and see how things are going. It’s always a good time coming back and talking to Mack.
What do you think when you see how the facilities have developed? It’s nice. I came in when they were just starting things, so I know how it used to look. It’s unbelievable. From where it’s come when I got here, it’s unreal.
What is the difference in playing in a stadium like this and an NFL stadium? College stadiums are always going to be different. The college fans are into it and love their team. A lot of them went to the university, so it’s just a whole different feel. I’ll tell anybody that anytime we were playing at Texas, there was nothing like it. Winning the Super Bowl is an entirely different experience, but game-to-game from college to the NFL is not even close.
How did you feel having your high school jersey retired in Galveston? I think it was a really, really big deal for me. Galveston has had a lot of guys come through there, a lot of guys playing in the NFL. At one time, we had the most guys of any high school in the country in the NFL. For me to be the only guy to have my jersey retired, when I was looking up to those other guys when I came up, it was a huge honor for me.
Personally, how are things going for you? I’m just trying to be a better man and do my family thing. I have my son coming up, and he thinks he’s nice in sports. In the future here when I retire, I’m looking forward to coaching him and seeing how good he really is.
There was a nice shot of you with him on your shoulders after the Super Bowl. What was it like to have him there at an age where he could appreciate what you accomplished? It was nice. It’s always good to have family around. To have a son his age who really understands what’s going on, and being able to share that with him and have him on the field with me, I know that’s something he’ll never forget in his life. It was something really nice to do.
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